Thanksgiving 2017: This Is Illinois' Favorite Side Dish

What are the elements of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner? It depends on who you ask, and where you are. While turkey and stuffing are staples for many, some regions have traditions of their own — like peanut butter cookies in Indiana, chicken spaghetti in Texas, crab cakes in Maryland and shrimp in Wisconsin.

But what about the Land of Lincoln? Here in Illinois, we keep it pretty simple, according to The Daily Meal, which recently shared the results of the top recipe searches in all 50 states. The top search here is the tried-and-true mashed potatoes.

In most states, Thanksgiving searches included the usual suspects of pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, crescent rolls and sweet potato casserole. But some states think outside of the box when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner.

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In Missouri, they're expecting guests to either arrive early or stay overnight, because breakfast casserole was the top search. Monkey bread — sticky Hungarian coffee cake —was the top search in Iowa, Nebraska and Rhode Island. In Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, meal planners might have a Thanksgiving football marathon in mind with their top search, buffalo chicken dip.

The search results, published by The Daily Meal, were pulled from sites including BettyCrocker.com and Pillsbury.com. Here's a look at the top search by state:

Alabama: Sausage balls
Alaska: Cinnamon rolls
Arizona: Shrimp
Arkansas: Chicken and dumplings
California: Macaroni and cheese
Colorado: Cranberry sauce
Connecticut: Butternut squash soup
Delaware: Sweet potato casserole
Florida: Pumpkin cheesecake
Georgia: Sweet potato casserole
Hawaii: Crescent rolls
Idaho: Biscuits
Illinois: Mashed Potatoes
Indiana: Peanut butter cookies
Iowa: Monkey bread
Kansas: Pinwheels
Kentucky: Chicken and dumplings
Louisiana: Cornbread dressing
Maine: Chicken pot pie
Maryland: Crab cake
Massachusetts: Cheesecake
Michigan: Chili
Minnesota: Green bean casserole
Mississippi: Chicken spaghetti
Missouri: Breakfast casserole
Montana: Oven-roasted vegetables
Nebraska: Monkey bread
Nevada: Peanut butter cookies
New Hampshire: Blueberry pie
New Jersey: Crab cake
New Mexico: Pecan pie
New York: Cheesecake
North Carolina: Sweet potato pie
North Dakota: Apple crisp
Ohio: Buffalo chicken dip
Oklahoma: Pecan pie
Oregon: Bread stuffing
Pennsylvania: Buffalo chicken dip
Rhode Island: Monkey bread
South Carolina: Sweet potato pie
South Dakota: Pumpkin pie
Tennessee: Sausage balls
Texas: Chicken spaghetti
Utah: Crescent rolls
Vermont: Butternut squash soup
Virginia: Macaroni and cheese
Washington: Sugar cookies
West Virginia: Buffalo chicken dip
Wisconsin: Shrimp
Wyoming: Pork chop

Photo via Unsplash

Beth Dalbey, Patch National Staff contributed to this article